Page:Modern Japanese Stories.pdf/109

thought passed through his mind he could not check a sudden surge of that special pride known only to those who wield great authority.

But the pride he felt this evening was not that alone. It was twofold. For in his prowess as a fighting man, too, he had proved himself superior to all these young men seated before him.

Earlier today he had assembled his retainers for yet another great tournament. He had chosen from their number those judged most proficient in the art of wielding the spear, and had divided them into two teams, the Reds and the Whites.

He himself had taken command of the Reds. But from the very start his team-mates had fared badly. One after another they had retired from the arena in defeat, and when it came to the deputy-commander’s turn, and he too was laid low, there still remained five members of the White team who had not yet been obliged to fight.

It was at this juncture that Lord Tadanao, as commander of the Reds, strode valiantly and imposingly into the arena, brandishing his huge six-yard spear with masterful ease. The White warriors were cowed at the mere sight. His first opponent, the head page boy—who had been so overawed by Lord Tadanao’s warlike appearance that he seemed in two minds whether to join battle or flee—had his spear struck from his grasp before he had really started, and upon receiving a blow in the stomach collapsed in the semblance of a swoon. The following two contestants, a stable overseer and an officer of the treasury, were stricken to the ground in rapid succession. The deputy-commander of the Whites next took the field. This was Ōshima Sadayū, eldest son of the castle’s fencing instructor, Ōshima Sazen, and rated second to none in the whole Echizen household in his skill with the spear.

There was a murmur of excited whispering among the spectators. “Even his lordship, for all his strength, may find Sadayū a stiff proposition.” But after some seven or eight vigorous exchanges Sadayū too was humbled. Recoiling from